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Multiple-Meaning Words

A multiple-meaning word is spelled and said the same way but means different things: a bat flies at night, and you hit a ball with a bat. Context is the only clue, which is why these words are such good reading practice.

Here are 116 multiple-meaning words from past ClueBy puzzles, each with a real example sentence for every meaning. Use them as a reference, or make a printable worksheet below.

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Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  2. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  3. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  4. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  5. This piece is in a major ________________.
  6. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  7. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  8. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  9. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  10. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  11. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  12. I'll be taking the ________________.
  13. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  14. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  15. Don't do anything ________________.
  16. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  17. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  18. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  19. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  20. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  21. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  22. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  23. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  24. The ball is in your ________________.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com

Answer key

  1. chair — a leader
  2. tube — a container
  3. tube — in a tire
  4. wave — a sudden rise
  5. key — in music
  6. bat — the animal
  7. court — of law
  8. court — of a king
  9. bat — for baseball
  10. chair — a professorship
  11. bat — in an idiom
  12. tube — the underground
  13. rash — on the skin
  14. rash — a series
  15. rash — hasty
  16. bowl — a football final
  17. key — the most important part
  18. key — for a lock
  19. wave — with your hand
  20. chair — to sit on
  21. bowl — to roll
  22. bowl — a dish
  23. wave — of the sea
  24. court — for sport

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

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Frequently asked questions

What are multiple-meaning words?

Words with the same spelling and pronunciation but more than one meaning, like bark (of a dog or of a tree) or bank (for money or of a river). You can only tell which meaning is meant from the rest of the sentence.

Are multiple-meaning words the same as homonyms?

Mostly, yes. Teachers often use "multiple-meaning words" and "homonyms" for the same idea. Homophones are different: they sound alike but are spelled differently, like flour and flower.

Are the worksheets free?

Yes. Make and print as many as you like for home or classroom use. Each sheet has its own link, so you can print the same one again.

Where do the words come from?

From past ClueBy puzzles, a daily game where you sort twelve sentences by their missing word. A new puzzle every day adds four more words to this list.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com